In times of political turmoil, against the odds, or maybe even encouraged by it, there has been art. There's a long history of paintings, music, and dance as protest and interpretation of the world around us. As the news comes out fast and furious, writers have contributed their art through words, giving context, opinion and aiming to form a sense of community in what could be an isolating time.
One of the writers who seems to be quoted everywhere these days is Rebecca Solnit, who has a recent essay in The Guardian, “Fighting for justice doesn’t have to be a big dramatic act. It can be small.” Her 2004 book “Hope in the Dark” is also resonating with new readers 20 years after its publication. We talked with her on TTBOOK in 2022 for the show “The Tangled Roots of War and Peace,” about her book “Orwell’s Roses,” and how to find beauty and meaning, even in war-time.
This weekend we re-air “Writing as a Political Act,” which features Ukrainian-American poet Ilya Kaminsky and novelists Bernardine Evaristo and Salman Rushdie. Kaminsky says poetry can give us a kind of hopeful magic, even when reality is hard to face.
“[Poetry] casts a spell on us,” says Kaminsky. “It's a memorable speech that we remember when things get difficult. And that memorable speech offers us a balm, offers us a way to go on.”
– Shannon